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Parmesan Cheese

This vegan Parmesan cheese doesn’t melt like the real cheese, but it’s a great addition to many dishes. I usually sprinkle it on a Caesar salad, add it to pesto or warm pasta dishes, use it as a topping for pizza, popcorn, or just about anything that needs a mild cheese flavor.

When faced with the idea of switching to a plant-based diet, one of the main reasons people don’t want to do it is that they “can’t give up cheese”. It wasn’t my reason; I thought it was yogurt I couldn’t live without. However, there were a couple of cheeses that I knew were going to be hard to give up, like brie or Parmesan. When I was a teenager, I would eat an entire block of brie or heaps of Parmesan cheese in just one sitting. I loved the earthy smell, melt-y and stretchy texture, and salty flavor. So giving up cheese was definitely an adjustment.

But it wasn’t just the taste of cheese that I missed. We’re all familiar with the “this reminds me of . . . ” experience of eating, when a particular food brings back pleasant memories. I make Alfredo sauce for my family not only because it’s delicious, but also because it’s something my mom made when I was growing up. So when I have cravings for cheese, I’m also having cravings for the people, places, and experiences that cheese just happened to be a part of.

Fortunately, there’re lots of vegan cheese recipes out there to try out. Since Parmesan cheese was one of the cheeses I used to eat all the time (and also because my husband loves Parmesan sprinkled on just about everything), that’s the recipe I started out with first on a plant-based diet.

Tips for Making Vegan Parmesan Cheese

Ingredients

Vegan Parmesan is made up mainly of cashews but you can use a blend of different nuts or seeds, such as pine nuts, Brazil nuts, and a little bit of hemp seeds. I like using cashews because their natural flavor mimics the nuttiness of real “Parm” perfectly. The “cheese” flavor comes from the nutritional yeast,a pinch of salt and a little bit of garlic powder. The garlic powder is optional but it adds a depth of flavor so I always add it in.

Technique

The easiest way to make this vegan Parmesan cheese is to use a food processor. If you don’t have one, you could also use a coffee grinder – it works like a charm as well.

It’s best to keep the vegan Parmesan cheese in a glass jar in the fridge so the cashews don’t turn rancid.

Tools You’ll Need

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Parmesan Cheese

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This vegan Parmesan cheese is made out of cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and salt. It's cheesy, nutty, savory, and so easy to make.

Servings

Prep Time

1cup

5minutes

Servings

Prep Time

1cup

5minutes

Parmesan Cheese

Votes: 0
Rating: 0
You:

Rate this recipe!

Print Recipe

This vegan Parmesan cheese is made out of cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and salt. It's cheesy, nutty, savory, and so easy to make.

Servings

Prep Time

1cup

5minutes

Servings

Prep Time

1cup

5minutes

Ingredients

1cupraw cashews

4Tbsp.nutritional yeast

1/2tsp.garlic powder

fine sea salt, to taste

Servings: cup

Units:

Instructions

Add all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until a coarse meal forms. Store any leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge.